In the heart of Cuddalore district, Kurinjipadi is witnessing a quiet but determined revival – not only of water bodies but also of collective memory, local identity and traditional civilizational knowledge.
What began as a grassroots clean-up initiative has evolved into a structured movement to revive the ancient Chola-era tank system that once sustained this fertile landscape.
The century-old Singapuri Sri Subraya Swamy Temple pond at Kurinjipadi in Cuddalore district is in restoration mode. Overwhelmed by domestic sewage and plastic waste for decades, the pond is slowly returning to normal thanks to the efforts of a citizen action group.
Revival draws inspiration from the poetry of Varakavi Subramania Swamigal, deeply rooted in Tamil spiritual consciousness, which speaks of the inseparable bond between land, water and community life.
Restoration of the pond began on 21 February 2026 with a group of local villagers, volunteers, civil society organizations and KurinjiCAN (Citizens’ Action Network), a citizen-led initiative. The pond’s desperate strait came to light during a 22km water walk held during the Singapore Water Festival in January 2026.
The Water Walk passed through villages linked by water bodies and engaged residents in issues of water security, rural resilience and heritage-based development. It revealed encroachments, silt, broken canals, weakened embankments, garbage dumps and an urgent need for village-level management.
“The drive began with the removal of plastic waste and debris, clearing of invasive vegetation, identification of inflow and outflow paths and strengthening of the temple pond’s dyke edges. Pond waste water has been pressed out and desilting will be done in a few days. The ruptured south bank of the pond will be restored and stabilized in consultation with water resources experts from Kurami and conactivjim, Klima Natesan Subramaniam.
“The restoration strategy is to ensure that the pond regains its role in groundwater recharge and the local water balance. The 1.2 acre pond is being revived with contributions from volunteers and local civil society organizations. The local authority is informed about the project and the expenditure is regularly monitored and shared in the WhatsApp group,” explained Mr. Natesan Subramaniam.
The open space around the pond will be revitalized as a community park-convention space. Residents have already committed to taking ownership of long-term maintenance and management.
According to Mr. Natesan Subramaniam, “The Cholas were not just temple builders and maritime rulers; they were master hydrologists. In Tamil Nadu, they constructed complex systems of interconnected reservoirs, temple ponds, supply canals and surplus weirs – ensuring groundwater recharge, flood mitigation and agricultural prosperity. Temple ponds were not functional agricultural ornamentals.”
He further stated: “Historically known as part of the Singapore region, Kurinjipadi formed an integral node in this water network. Oral history, inscriptions and traditional land patterns indicate the existence of a cascading system of reservoirs designed to collect monsoon runoff and distribute it across agrarian settlements. Over time, rapid urbanisation, neglect, encroachment and changing land use patterns disrupted and changed land use patterns. Surplus courses disappeared under concrete. Now all that remains is a fragmented memory of a once self-sufficient ecosystem.”
According to resident KSB Karthickeyan: “The revitalization of Singapore’s temple pond is just the beginning. The broader plan includes mapping and documentation through the preparation of a technical and community map of interconnected water bodies, identification of priority restoration clusters, creation of a micro-water management group. The movement also planned to restore feeder channels, plant native tree species around the edges of water bodies, and document biodiversity.”
“Instead of looking at reservoirs as isolated structures, we recognize them as nodes in a living system. Reviving one without reconnecting it to its intake and discharge pathways would only offer temporary results,” Mr Karthickeyan said.
The movement plans to map historic water bodies and their connections, identify blocked feeder channels and redundant dams, restore cascading flows between reservoirs, integrate traditional water wisdom with modern hydrogeological science, and create community-based maintenance models.
Published – March 3, 2026 8:28 PM IST
